One Plan Goal Bank for South Australian Schools: Examples and How to Write Good Goals

One of the most common complaints from South Australian parents is that their child's One Plan is full of goals that sound good but are essentially unmeasurable. "Will improve literacy skills." "Will develop social awareness." "Will engage more appropriately with peers."

These aren't goals. They're aspirations. And the difference matters enormously when you're trying to hold a school accountable for what they've promised.

Here's a practical goal bank for SA One Plans — structured examples you can bring to your next review meeting, grouped by domain and aligned to what schools can realistically deliver.

What Makes a Good One Plan Goal

Before the examples, the framework. A useful One Plan goal has five elements — the SMART structure that SA educators should already know but often skip under time pressure:

• Specific — exactly what skill or behaviour is being targeted
• Measurable — a number, frequency, or observable outcome that shows whether it's been achieved
• Achievable — realistic given the child's current level and the resources available
• Relevant — directly tied to the student's disability-related needs and curriculum access
• Time-bound — a deadline (end of term, end of semester) so it can be reviewed

When the One Plan says "will receive SSO support," there's no goal there. When it says "by the end of Term 2, the student will independently initiate and complete a five-step classroom routine using their visual schedule on 4 out of 5 observation sessions," you have something you can evaluate and, if it's not happening, escalate.

Literacy Goals

Early literacy (Reception-Year 2): "By the end of Semester 1, [Name] will correctly identify and produce all 42 Phase 3 phonemes when presented with grapheme cards, achieving 85% accuracy over three consecutive sessions, measured by SSO-recorded phonics assessments."

Reading fluency (Years 3-6): "By the end of Term 3, [Name] will read grade-level passages at a rate of [X] correct words per minute with 95% accuracy, measured by fortnightly running records conducted by the classroom teacher."

Writing support (Years 4-7): "By the end of Semester 2, [Name] will produce a structured paragraph of at least four sentences using a graphic organiser scaffold with fewer than two prompts from an SSO, measured by teacher-assessed writing samples twice per term."

Assistive technology (any year level): "By the end of Term 2, [Name] will independently use text-to-speech software to complete a written response task in class on 3 out of 4 opportunities, measured by teacher observation logs."

Numeracy Goals

Number sense (early years): "By the end of Term 1, [Name] will count a set of objects to 20 with one-to-one correspondence on 9 out of 10 trials across three sessions, measured by SSO documentation."

Calculation with supports (Years 4-7): "By the end of Semester 1, [Name] will correctly solve addition and subtraction problems to 100 using a number line or calculator support with 80% accuracy, measured by monthly classroom assessment tasks."

Applied maths (Years 7-10): "By the end of Term 3, [Name] will independently calculate a budget for a given scenario using a calculator and step-by-step prompt card with no more than one SSO prompt, assessed in two practical classroom tasks."

Communication and Language Goals

Expressive language (early years): "By the end of Semester 1, [Name] will use 3-4 word phrases to request items or activities in the classroom on 80% of natural opportunities, documented by the SSO in daily communication logs."

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication): "By the end of Term 2, [Name] will independently select the appropriate symbol or core vocabulary word on their AAC device to make a request or comment during structured activities on 4 out of 5 opportunities, measured by SLP and SSO observation."

Social communication (Years 1-6): "By the end of Semester 2, [Name] will initiate and maintain a three-turn conversational exchange with a peer using a topic card or visual prompt in a supported group activity, measured by weekly teacher observation notes."

Social Skills and Wellbeing Goals

Regulation and calm-down strategies: "By the end of Term 2, [Name] will independently use a named self-regulation strategy (deep breathing, sensory tool, movement break) when presented with a visual cue by the SSO, on 4 out of 5 opportunities per week, measured by SSO incident logs."

Peer interaction: "By the end of Term 3, [Name] will participate in a cooperative group activity for a minimum of 10 minutes without disengaging or requiring removal, in 3 out of 4 observed sessions per fortnight, measured by teacher observation."

Attendance and school engagement: "By the end of Semester 2, [Name] will independently enter the school building and move to their locker using their visual routine card without adult physical prompting on 4 out of 5 school mornings per week, measured by front office and SSO records."

Independence and Transition Goals

Daily living skills in school: "By the end of Term 1, [Name] will independently manage their lunchbox, open packaging, and clean up their eating area with no more than one verbal prompt on 80% of lunch sessions, measured by lunchroom supervisor records."

Moving to high school (Year 6 transition planning): "By the end of Semester 2, [Name] will be able to identify and locate three key spaces in the high school campus (canteen, their first classroom, the student services office) using a visual campus map, following two supported orientation visits, assessed by the transition coordinator."

Post-school and SACE pathways (Years 10-12): "By the end of Semester 1, [Name] will be able to describe three vocational interest areas and identify two relevant TAFE SA pathways using supported research activities, assessed in a one-to-one discussion with the school's careers counsellor."

NDIS transition planning (Years 11-12): "By the end of Term 3, [Name] will participate in a planning meeting with their NDIS Local Area Coordinator and be able to state two post-school goals and one support they want from their plan, assessed by family and LAC observation."

How to Use This in Your One Plan Meeting

Don't wait for the school to produce goals and then accept or reject them. Bring your own drafted goals to the meeting based on what your child actually needs to work on. When the inclusion coordinator or teacher writes a vague goal, you can say: "I'd like to suggest something more specific — can we frame this as [your version]?"

The school is not required to adopt your exact wording, but they are required to document the adjustments and goals in a form that reflects your child's needs and is reviewable. Specific goals make that review meaningful.

If a goal is consistently not being met at review time, that's a data point. It might mean the goal needs adjusting — or it might mean the support isn't being implemented. Documentation makes that distinction possible.

Goal-writing is only one part of making a One Plan work. The South Australia Disability Support Blueprint covers how to prepare for the meeting, challenge vague proposals, and track progress between reviews — including a goal-setting worksheet designed specifically for SA's One Plan structure.

The Bottom Line

Good One Plan goals are specific, measurable, time-bound, and directly connected to what your child needs to access the curriculum. The examples in this goal bank are a starting point — adapt them to your child's actual current level, year group, and disability profile. Bring them to your next One Plan review and insist that the final document reflects them, not platitudes.

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